When a Victory is Told in Detail
by LikeJello
Summary: Neal's musings after a battle about being a healer and a warrior. In stanzas amd paragraphs.
1. Chapter 1

_When a Victory is Told in Detail_ started out as Neal's musings on being a healer and a warrior. The second chapter is a poem of sorts and the third is the original version I wrote. You need only read one version, as they are almost the same; however, feel free to read both if you want to. The inspiration for _Victory_ was two fold: firstly, the quote by Jean-Paul Sartre, "When a victory is told in detail, one cannot distinguish it from a defeat", secondly, by the fanfic No Winning In War by Rainstorm Amaya Arianrhod (you should check it out).


	2. Poem

**If a Victory is Told in Detail**

Warriors Ha!  
They think they know what battle is  
Fighting Killing The Enemy  
The young think it glorious, honorable  
The old understand the battle field  
They understand, but they don't know  
They don't know

A healer though  
A healer sees the slaughter  
From the inside out  
We see every person that died  
Every person that we couldn't save  
Every person who is permanently wounded  
That will never be the same again

Healers carry the burden  
The burden of everybody's life  
They carry it on their shoulders  
For if we fail, so, too, do you

Why would anyone want to be a healer?  
We healers don't have much choice  
We healers are compelled to help  
To help however we can

How could a warrior be a healer?  
We fight to make our country better  
We healers heal because,  
As Maude told Alanna,  
"Use your healing magic  
Use it all you can  
It's harder to heal than it is to kill"

How could a healer be a warrior?  
We healers fight  
We fight because we know  
We know how best to kill  
For we know best how to heal  
We know just where to strike  
To make the death quick  
To make it as painless as possible

Warriors Ha!  
They think they know what battle is  
Fighting Killing The Enemy  
The young think it glorious, honorable  
The old understand the battle field  
They understand, but they don't know  
They don't know

A healer though  
A healer sees the slaughter  
From the inside out  
We see every person that died  
Every person that we couldn't save  
Every person who is permanently wounded  
That will never be the same again

Healers carry the burden  
The burden of everybody's life  
They carry it on their shoulders  
For if we fail, so, too, do you

Grandfather was correct  
In all that he has said  
But most especially in this  
If a victory is told in detail  
One can't distinguish it from defeat

For who should know this better  
Than the healers that know death  
For who should know this better  
Than the ones that see the end


	3. Paragraph

Warriors. Ha! They think they know what battle is. Fighting. Killing the enemy. The young think it is glorious and honorable. The Old understand the battle field, but they don't know it. A healer though, a healer sees the slaughter from the inside out—literally. We see every person that died. Every person we couldn't save. Every person who was permanently injured and will never be the same. Healers carry the burden of everybody's life on their shoulders, for if we fail, so, too, do you.

Why would anyone want to be a healer? We healers don't have much choice; we are compelled to help. How could a warrior be a healer? Well, as Maude told Alanna when she went off to train at the palace, "If you want to pay for the lives you take, use your healing magic. Use it all you can, or you won't cleanse your soul of death for centuries. It's harder to heal than it is to kill". We heal to make up for those whom we are forced to kill when obeying the oath made to King and Country. How could a healer become a warrior? A healer is the best killer, we know how the body is built, how to kill a person quickly, with the least amount of pain.

Warriors. Ha! They think they know what battle is. Fighting. Killing the enemy. The young think it is glorious and honorable. The Old understand the battle field, but they don't know it. A healer though, a healer sees the slaughter from the inside out—literally. We see every person that died. Every person we couldn't save. Every person who was permanently injured and will never be the same. Healers carry the burden of everybody's life on their shoulders, for if we fail, so, too, do you.

Grandfather was correct in all that he has said. But most especially in this: When a victory is told in detail, one cannot distinguish it from a defeat. For who should know this better than the healers that know death? For who should know this better than the ones that see the end?

_**Note: The tense changes are on purpose. Neal is thinking about questions that people ask him, and since he already is a healer and a knight, they ask the question in the past tense.**_


End file.
